Darderi wins Croatia Open in Umag

Luciano Darderi has won the 35th edition of the ATP Croatia Open in Umag. 

The Italian delivered a winning performance in the final, defeating Spain's Carlos Taberner in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. The victory marks Darderi's fourth ATP Tour title-and his second in as many weeks. This marks Darderi's fourth ATP Tour title, his second in as many weeks, having won in Båstad. He now boasts a perfect 4-0 record in ATP finals with a nine-match winning streak.

Despite stepping on his ankle during the final, he maintained composure and delivered a commanding performance, winning 87% of his first-serve points and finishing with seven aces.

“I've been playing really well in the last two weeks. I've felt good on the court every day. I'm extremely happy with the level of my play in the last two weeks,” said Darderi.

However, playing non-stop has resulted in fatigue, so Darderi celebrated the Umag victory with a pained expression on his face due to his ankle injury.

“When I woke up in the morning, I felt a strong pain in my leg. I thought I wouldn't be able to play the final. However, during the day, my condition improved,” he said.

This season, only Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz has more clay court finals (four).

He also became the fourth Italian to win the Umag trophy after Fabio Fognini (2016), Marco Cecchinato (2018) and Jannik Sinner (2022).

Taberner made his first-ever ATP final, producing a standout run including his first victory over a Top-20 player, upsetting defending champion Francisco Cerundolo in a thrilling three-set match (7-6 (2), 6-4, 7-5)

The win propelled Taberner’s ranking from world No. 111 all the way to No. 84, marking his career-high so far. Darderi praised his opponent in his victory speech.

"First of all I have to say congratulations Carlos. He's a great person. I know him very well. We were playing together in Italy for the past three years. Congrats for last year. You are playing well and you are going to get even better and play in a lot of finals,” said Darderi.